So far only my
Family and a few very close friends know what the late Seamus Heaney and the
late David Frost have done to me.Oh! And about umpteen Health professionals.
It all began a
couple of months back when the Irish Poet Seamus Heaney died of a Heart Attack
aged 74, closely followed by the English TV Journalist David Frost who died two
days later at 74 of a Heart Attack. It occurred to me, that at 73 yrs. of age,
the two events might suggest a little caution. So, I put the suggestion to my
excellent G.P. and he arranged for me to have a Stress Test at Hornsby Hospital
with an associated Electro Cardiogram.
I lasted about
7mins 40 seconds on the tread mill, at progressively faster and steeper
settings, ending up running up hill. The Doctor supervising the test noted a
possible problem, and recommended a CT Angiogram. This called for a referral to
a Cardiologist .The test was done in due course and indicated 3 locations of
calcification on the arteries around the heart.
Back to the
Cardiologist for his take on the results. Not what I wanted to hear.
The test had
shown calcification of the main artery leaving the heart - and additional
calcification of a lesser degree in two other places. He said that on the basis
of these results, there is a 16% chance of an "adverse event"(read
heart attack, stroke or death) within the next ten years without intervention.
That intervention would take the form of a triple by- pass. This should promise
a 15% minimum increase in life span and a 25% increase in physical capability
after a thorough recuperation.
However,
before definitely proposing that course, he wanted me to have an Invasive
Cardio Angiogram. This proved to be an interesting exercise in which a
miniscule probe is inserted through a puncture into a blood vessel in the groin
under mild anaesthetic and then maneuvered up into the heart's arteries for an
inside look via ultrasound. All the while I was laying there surrounded by
Doctors and nurses in large numbers and an X ray pad on the end of a robotic
arm was dancing around my chest like something out of a Disney space movie.
The result
confirmed the earlier tests, showing one blockage - the main artery out of the
heart at 75% blocked at its mouth or beginning, and two others further out,
blocked at 60% and 50% respectively. The Cardiologist, not one to miss a chance
to be more cautious, announced that the 16% was now 20%! And that he was now
decided that the by- pass surgery should take place, but....just wanted to do
one more Stress Test under his personal supervision before sending me to the
Heart Surgeon. I did the Stress Test. He acknowledged that I did better than he
expected, but confirmed that the surgery was required.
The Heart
Surgeon proved to be a very impressive man - late 40s early 50s, very trim and
disciplined, nice manner and good gentle sense of humour. He is married with
several children and so has his feet on the ground - no airs and graces, though
he is obviously used to speaking with authority and having things done professionally as he
wants them done . He agreed with the Cardiologist but just wanted
me to undergo an Ultrasound Examination of the Carotid Arteries (in my neck) to
ensure that the problem was not present there also.
He had me fill
out the Royal North Shore Hospital Admission Forms and leave them with him.
I had the
Carotid Ultrasounds done and delivered the results to him after showing them to
my G.P. The latter commented that they presented no problem for the Surgery
.Then I received a call from the Hospital to attend a Pre- Admission Clinic
last Monday. I did that, seeing about eight different people in 5 hours, and
all with their different areas of interest. Seems that I proved acceptable. I
was presented with piles of material to read, other bits to sign and a very
helpful booklet on the whole subject including preparation, the operation and
recuperation. (It seems they have done this before!)
The
Cardiologist was appalled, and the Heart Surgeon amused, when I told each of them
that from all that I had read, Bypass Surgery seemed like a planned catastrophe!
No doubt it is a massive attack on the body I have been occupying these last 73
years, but a necessary one to avoid one of those " adverse events"
and , after recuperation, to rev the whole thing up a bit. So there you have it.
I am in the
hands of the Hospital and the Heart Surgeon as to the date of the operation,
but it seems it will be fairly early in the New Year. The timing after that is
1 or 2 days in Intensive Care, then about 7 days more or less in the Ward, then
about 6 weeks progressive recuperation back to virtually normal - which should
be reached after 3 months or so.In the meantime, a very heavy burden on my dear wife Robyn, who will have a very heavy load to carry especially in the earliest stages of the recuperation.However, we have the assurance of help from family and our dearest friends.
I am
determined to do my level best to get to the situation of normality as soon as prudently possible. I
will keep you informed.
